Originally published on Kirkus
January is full of temporary doldrums: you have to pick yourself up from the holidays, trudge back to work and reckon with your goals and the time that’s passing by since everyone won’t stop talking about their New Year’s resolutions. Leave all that by the wayside with the books on this week’s list, all of which have the power to take you to other, intriguing places.
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“Foner brings to life fraught decades of contention, brutality and amazing acts of moral courage.” New sources reveal the perilous journeys of fugitive slaves. Read full book review.
“Even the most astute readers will be in for a shock as Hawkins slowly unspools the facts, exposing the harsh realities of love and obsession’s inescapable links to violence.” Desperate to find lives more fulfilling than her own, a lonely London commuter imagines the story of a couple she’s only glimpsed through the train window in Hawkins’ chilling, assured debut, in which the line between truth and lie constantly shifts like the rocking of a train. Read full book review.
